EPOS H3 Hybrid Review

Manufacturer: EPOS
Where to Buy: EPOS / Argos
RRP: £149.00

After we got to review the excellent EPOS H3 back in May, those clever clogs at EPOS have one-upped themselves just four months later. The H3 Hybrid brings all of the same excellent sound and features of the H3, along with some nifty extras that just make the package that much easier to recommend.

If you’ve checked out my review for the H3 unit, then you’ll note that my only small gripes were the un-detachable boom arm and the slightly awkward volume wheel. Well, straight off the bat the H3 Hybrid has amended these. The former is now magnetically attached, easily popped off should the need arise (there’s even a neat little flat replacement disc to cover the connection hole included). The latter has been markedly improved, and I found it much easier to swivel to adjust the volume this time round.

Of course, these improvements will only be notable to those with the H3 already, but it’s a great way to emphasise the quality on offer across the board here. This is a solid set of headphones, from the nicely braided cable right the way up to the fantastic audio quality. The premium quality comes at a price – around £160 – but there are more expensive, yet less enjoyable sets out there for sure.

Starting with the comfortable fit, the H3 Hybrid ups the game here too. The ear cups are a soft leatherette style, with a soft foam type covering the part that actually rests on the ear. I found these helped keep them comfy for long sessions while not getting too hot or bothersome. They also swivel nicely to contour to the head, and the headband has a nice soft feel to it too, with plenty of room for even the biggest of heads (like mine). The unit we were sent for review has a nice, sleek black finish, without any sort of outlandish colours or designs all over it.

But then, this level of design and comfort is to be expected from EPOS. As is top of the range sound – and here EPOS knock it out of the park once more. As with the H3, even at loud volumes the audio comes through brilliantly. The bass is there to really enhance gun fire or explosions found in the recent Halo Infinite Tech Preview, while the treble and voice work came through clearly even when we were getting in on the action. The H3 Hybrid has a very good volume range, going nice and loud without blasting my ear drums out, while even low volumes still maintain clarity of sounds nicely. The H3 was already one of the best I’d tried, and the H3 Hybrid easily matches the quality, as you’d expect. The included boom arm mic is top notch too, with active voice monitoring letting us hear ourselves ever so slightly. Some other EPOS sets I’ve used haven’t had this feature, so it’s great to see (or hear) its inclusion here.

So far, so H3 in terms of features and quality – a good thing indeed. Where the H3 Hybrid steps up though is in the inclusion of Bluetooth and USB support. This allows us to attach a phone or laptop at the same time as the 3.5mm connection, for use with third party chat apps like Discord, making calls, or simply listening to audio from another device. I’ve missed this feature in recent years (a set I had on the 360 allowed this function, but it has been sadly an under looked addition since then) so it’s excellent to have it back in the fold here. Granted, there are ways to have backing music or podcasts via the Xbox console itself, but having it from a separate device is that bit easier to deal with in my eyes. This also means that the H3 Hybrid can be used across a wide range of devices; from out and about with a phone, to dual use while gaming, or even via USB on PC to get the best sound quality possible when playing on there. There are even dual built-in mics for on the go use so that we can detach the boom arm to leave safely at home. When it comes to handling the balance of audio between the two inputs, the H3 Hybrid’s volume wheel manages the 3.5mm jack connection, while Bluetooth volume is handled on the device in question. It’s a simple solution to balance the two sources, although having something on the headset itself to handle this might have been a nice touch.

These features comes with a caveat though. The H3 Hybrid is a digital product, and as such needs to be powered on regardless of input method. The battery life is lengthy to be fair (37 hours via Bluetooth, 24 hours via 3.5mm, or 19 hours with both at once), but it’s still something to think about if you’re taking the set on a long plane journey or the like.

Conclusion

Outside of this small niggle though, I’m not sure I could recommend the H3 Hybrid more highly. It takes what was already a solid base in the H3, irons out a few kinks, adds in Bluetooth and USB support, and wraps it all up in a sleek design that’s comfortable to wear for as long as the batteries last. The quality and extras more than justify the extra on the price tag, and it’s a set that’ll last you for some time to come.

Hardware provided by the manufacturer for review purposes.